Troutman agrees to deal with mod owner
A day after announcing his departure from G.R. Smith's Team 22 Inc., Drake Troutman today told DirtonDirt he has a deal in place to drive for a new Dirt Late Model team being assembled by Pasadena, Md., businessman Jerry Foster, Troutman's modified car owner since 2023.
The 21-year-old Hyndman, Pa., driver, who will abandon his fifth-place standing on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, said plans are underway for Foster to launch a Late Model operation but no timeline has been established.
"We are. But just to make something very, very clear, he didn't call and beg me to come race for him," Troutman told DirtonDirt. "He was like, 'We wanna come try this Late Model, if you wanna come drive it, I'd love to have you. If not, I know you already have a prior commitment. If you wanna keep doing that, I'll find someone else to drive it. But I wanna give the Late Model a whirl.' "
Troutman indicated the opportunity with Foster ultimately played a role in his inability to commit long term to Team 22 Inc., which led to Tuesday's separation from Smith's operation.
"It's something I gave a lot of thought about," Troutman said. "And then I started leaning in that direction a little bit. That's where I couldn't give G.R. the commitment. That's where it was hard. G.R. and his family were great to me."
Troutman said his entire Team 22 Inc. crew — longtime right-hand man Hunter Cornell, Tom Schramm and Aidan Glass — intends to join the new venture for Foster, who owns Emerald Homes and Jerry's Siding & Roofing, businesses serving the Washington-Baltimore corridor.
Troutman has captured two of modified racing's biggest events in Foster's red-white-and-blue No. 5: the inaugural Modified World Championship at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis., in May 2025 paying $100,025 and 2024's Gateway Dirt Nationals at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Troutman, interviewed before spectating at Wednesday's WoO action at I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn., has a family-owned Longhorn Chassis from his previous No. 7 operation, but it's not race-ready.
"I think (Foster will) let me drive my No. 7, but I'm not 100 percent positive," Troutman said. "I think we'll be back in a red-white-and-blue No. 7. Me and Jerry have been together for so long. We're two peas in a pod. Not that me and G.R. weren't. I just figured we'd give it a shot."
Efforts to reach Foster early Wednesday evening were unsuccessful.
